Cordkillers 321 - Swear-Free* Zone (w/ Merrill Barr)
Tenet slips again, Netflix filming a $200M blockbuster, and HBO Max to get sketch comedy from Michael Che. Merrill Barr.
CordKillers: 321 - Swear-Free* Zone
Recorded: July 20 2020
Guest: Merrill Barr
Intro Video
Netflix dance film, Work It
Primary Target
‘Tenet’ Undated For Now: Warner Bros. To Announce New Date “Imminently”, Pic’s Theatrical Global Rollout Won’t Be “Traditional”
Christopher Nolan should release Tenet online
-Warner Bros. is taking Tenet temporarily off the theatrical release for now and instead is prepping the film for an unconventional theatrical rollout which won’t be a global day-and-date one.
- The Verge's Chaim Gartenberg lays out an argument for why Christopher Nolan should change course and push to have Tenet released online rather than in theaters.
THE PRESTIGE ARGUMENT
-Tenet has been pushed as not the first movie to return to theaters but the first movie that will pull people back in. Nolan seems to wants Tenet tog herald the reopening of theaters. Gartenberg argues that might not be safe given rising infection levels. But Tenet could arguably make a bigger splash than Trolls. Gartenberg writes "If Nolan wants to build a legacy, releasing the first true at-home blockbuster could be a substantial credit to that legacy"
THE MONEY ARGUMENT
- It's estimated Tenet needs to bring in $400 million from theaters to profit
- Gartenerbg points out studios keep 50% of theater-run movies but 80% of online streamers and 100% if they put it other own service like HBO Max.
- The best thing to do money wise would be to wait for theaters to be solidly open. Gartenberg argues online would make more money than being early to theaters.
How to Watch
Co-CEOs announced
Never Have I Ever,' 'Space Force' Viewed by 40 Million Households
Charlize Theron Netflix Pic ‘The Old Guard’ Seen In 72M Households, Top 10 Pic For Streamer
Netflix shares fall after earnings miss, weak subscriber guidance for third quarter
- Netflix announced that Netflix has named chief content officer Ted Sarandos co-CEO. Sarandos will continue to head content. CEO Reed Hastings said “This change makes formal what was already informal — that Ted and I share the leadership of Netflix.” Netflix also named Chief Product officer as Chief Operating Officer.
- Netflix also announced it gained 10.1 million subscribers worldwide in the last quarter -- almost as much as all of 2019-- pushing its total close to 193 million.
- So now the bad news. Earnings per share for the quarter was $1.59, quite a bit lower than the $1.81 expected.
- Also Netflix said it expects to add 2.5 million subscribers in Q3. Well below the 5.27 million analysts expected them to say.
- In its earnings letter Netflix wrote “growth is slowing as consumers get through the initial shock of Covid and social restrictions.”
- That's the finance stuff. What about the content!
- In first four weeks after release (minimum two minutes)
- Extraction (Chris Hemsworth) 99mm
- La Casa de Papel 65mm
- The Wrong Missy (David Spade, Lauren Lapkus) 59mm
- Too Hot to Handle - 51 mmm hh
- Never Have I Ever & Space Force 40mm
- The Willoghbys 38mm
- Floor is Lava 37 mm
- Da Five Bloods 27 mm
- Estimates The Old Guard (Charlize Theron) heading to 72mm
Netflix reveals ten most popular movies
Netflix says 'Extraction' and 'Bird Box' are its two most popular original films
Netflix’s The Old Guard keeps the summer blockbuster alive
Merrill's thoughts on Peacock
What to Watch
'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' won't debut on Disney+ in August
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was scheduled to debut on Disney+ August 5 but it was not on a recently published schedule of upcoming releases. Engadget's source says the premier has been pushed back and no new date has been set. Filming for the series was put on hold in March.
New ‘Muppets Now’ Trailer Is The Only Zoom Call Worth Taking
- However Disney + will debut a new Muppets series called Muppets Now coming July 31. The show is billed as unscripted short form interactions between muppets and guest stars. Topics mentioned in the trailer include lifestyle, cooking and science.
HBO Max Orders Michael Che Sketch Show From Lorne Michaels & Universal Television
- HBO Max has ordered a sketch comedy show from Saturday Night Live co-head writer Michael Che. Che will executive produce along with SNL producers Lorne Michaels and Erin Doyle. The episodes of the series will each have a theme and use sketches and vignettes to illustrate the black experience. Che will not leave SNL.
Ted Lasso, the Apple TV+ series starring Jason Sudeikis will appear August 14. The show is based on NBC Sports promos about a US college football coach who takes over a soccer team in England.
Netflix Commits Largest Budget So Far For ‘The Gray Man’; Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans Star, AGBO’S Joe & Anthony Russo Direct Mano A Mano Espionage Thriller
- Netflix has committed around $200 million for The Gray man, a movie based a 2009 novel by Mark Greaney about a former CIA operative and freelance assassin named Court Gentry. Joe Russo will rite with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, Anthony and Joe Russo will direct and Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans will star. If it succeeds it could become a franchise.
Eyes On
Brian: showing the kids Mr. Show
Tom: Palm Springs
Merrill: Dallas & Robo
On the Lookout: The Last Dance
Front Lines
Amazon launches ‘free’ live TV package in Germany
- Amazon added 38 live TV channels to Amazon Prime Video in Germany. This includes 28 HD channels and access to public broadcasters ARD and ZDF. The channels are part of the standard Prime Video package at no additional cost to subscribers.
Korea’s ‘Peninsula’ Blasts to $20.8 Million Opening Weekend Across Asia
- The sequel to zombie thriller Train to Busan premiered in Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore this weekend racking up $20.8 million, giving it 93% marketshare. It will open next in Thailand, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Cambodia. With no US produced movies coming, Korean films are filling the schedule with “Steel Rain 2: Summit” coming July 29, and “Deliver Us From Evil” Aug. 5. China opened its theaters Monday July 20 and took in $472,000 by 8 PM.
China Box Office Nears $500K On First Day Of Cinema Reopenings; Beijing Lowers Emergency Response Level
Netflix Pulls ‘Derry Girls’ Season 2 From U.K. Service Following Rights Mix-Up
- Season 2 of Channel 4's Derry Girls was pulled from Netflix in the UK and Ireland. Netflix mistakenly added the show too early. Netflix does not have the rights to stream the show until season 3 premieres and season 3 has been delayed. Season 2 of Derry Girls is available on Netflix outside Ireland and the UK and on Channel 4's catchup service in Ireland and the UK.
Xiaomi dives into Android TV dongles with a 1080p-capable Mi TV Stick
- Xiaomi launched and Android TV-powered streaming stick called the Mi TV. It maxes out at 1080p but supports Dolby and DTS audio. A bluetooth remote handles voice commands through Google Assistant. Price ad availability were not announced.
Dispatches from the Front
I know I'm a bit late to the party, but Dan's email on last week's show reminded me again of my list of reasons a DVR is superior to a cloud DVR or on-demand library:
1. Scrubbing thru the video. If you're trying to find a specific spot, or trying to skip past a certain scene, it works SO much better on something like a Tivo than on any cloud DVR or on demand service
2. Built in 30 second rewind (though one of the boxes does the "what did they just say?" trick that's similar, but this is perfect for something you JUST missed)
3. Never having to wait for something to buffer
4. Some commercials are decent (trailers, ads for new shows) and it's easy to see one of those going by and slow down, rewind 30 seconds, and actually watch those. Try doing that with a cloud DVR, or with on demand you just have to watch every commercial.
5. Starting sports late. I can tune into a game up to 30-60 minutes late and still catch up by the end, as I fly through breaks, replays, injuries, and commercials.
6. The home screen with everything you want to watch already exists
7. The "spousal acceptance factor" on Tivo is off the charts compared to any other method for video viewing I've tried, especially for non-technical family members
8. Best remote ever designed. (And I'm sorry in advance Tom, but in especially compared to one of the worst products ever designed - the Apple TV remote that you can't tell if it's upside down or not, and even after 5 years of ownership I fly past what i'm trying to stop on all the time, or barely bump the track pad and it does something. Buttons are still better, especially if you have someone with any kind of arthritis or movement issues)
9. I've tried each one of the streaming services (including the defunct PS Now), and i hated every one of those DVRs. Those were the "slow motion Internet" that Brian tried to label Tivo, not the Tivo itself. Painful in comparison to the real time action of a non-cloud DVR.
10. All the things the emailer said, including the fairly measly cost if you're doing over the air channels only (with no sports right now, it's a great way to save money!)
On a separate topic, I want to scream every time Brian says "Just buy the shows you want to watch, it's so much better believe me". Pardon my language, but how the **** am I supposed to magically know which ones I like without trying them thru some sort of cable or streaming service? Am I to buy every show out there for at least a few episodes while I decide? Even if I only bought a couple of episode of the shows that I "sample" thru my DVR, I'd go broke in a year or two. This method is great for shows you already discovered, but it's terrible for discovery.
- Tim
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